Save The Kingdom - MagiQuest Book 1
by BeMoreBroadway
Summary: When Falner and Lucas Greyson get sent to Great Wolf Lodge for the summer, they never expected anything special to happen. They never expected to be able to see things that others couldn't. And they certainly never expected to team up and try to save not only their world but one that's a little more...magical.
1. Chapter 1 - The Adventure Begins

Falner stood in the center of the stop, looking at all of the wands. "So, I just…choose one? Or does it choose me, ala Ollivanders?" She asked. "It chooses you. Ollivander made these wands after all." The woman next to her said. She wore a traditional elven hunting outfit, but instead of a bow, she had a wand of her own. Her nametag said her name was Elise. Falner nodded slightly, picking up one of the wands. It was blue and silver, with a dragon head engraved in the front. Nothing happened once she picked it up, causing her to sigh and put it down. After about a dozen different wand attempts, it started to feel hopeless. "Last one…" Falner muttered, picking up the last wand. It was black with red flames and accents. As soon as she picked it up, a neon blue light emitted from the tip and swirled around her, forming a couple circuit-esque marks on her face and arms while Elise watched from the sidelines. "Well. Guess the last time's the charm. One of the most interesting wands has chosen you, Falner." She said, smiling. Falner looked at the wand in awe. "Woah. What was with the light?" She asked curiously. "That wand is special. It has a familiar inside it. A guardian angel, if you will," Elise explained. "Once you grab your topper he'll hopefully introduce himself." Falner nodded, walking over to the toppers and, after looking over her choices, grabbing one and screwing it onto the bottom of her wand. It had a cracked blue gem that glowed every time she waved her wand and looked like a sword hilt. "So…now what?" She asked.

Elise ducked behind a counter and reappeared moments later with a myriad of capes and a small brown book. "You pick a cape and I'll give you your spellbook." She said. Falner ran to the counter and grabbed the black cape, grinning as she slipped it on. There was a quick flash of light, and the cape went from solid black to black with neon blue circuits on it. Elise raised an eyebrow. "Man, he must _really_ like you. I've never seen someone's cape get that design before." She commented. Falner looked at the cape in awe. "It's so pretty! How do I meet him so I can thank him?" She asked. Elise pushed the book towards the blonde girl. "There's a spell in here. Don't remember exactly where, but it's in there. Now, as for starting your journey, you need to go to the 3rd floor and you'll see some giant trees. Those trees act as your portal into the world of Vellara." She said. Falner nodded, taking the book and sprinting out of the shop. "Thank you, Elise!" She shouted. "Good luck, student of Hogwarts…" Elise murmured, watching the blonde girl run off into a stairwell.


	2. Chapter 2 - Welcome to Vellara

Falner ran up the last few stairs, panting. "Never…again…" She huffed, walking down a long forest-themed hallway. There were other kids running around, none of them holding the same wand as she did, but they were all waving them at different objects in the room. Chests, crystals, paintings, even the stars on the ceiling. After leaving the hallway, she noticed a giant grove of trees growing in the left corner. Kids were surrounding them and waving their wands at them. Falner raised an eyebrow in curiosity, walking over. She stood in front of one of the trees and waved her wand in a sharp swishing motion. The tree glowed white and, after a brief tremor, opened up to reveal a galaxy-esque portal. Her jaw nearly hit the floor. "Holy Peggy, there's an actual portal here." She said in awe. She took a quick glance at her surroundings, making sure no one was watching her before she backed up slightly and took a running start, launching herself through the swirling vortex. She landed in an area reminiscent of the one she had just been in, only this one was much more grounded in reality. Birds were chirping, flowers were blooming, and she inhaled the sweet smell of fresh air. "This...this can't be real…" She said after a moment, looking behind her at the trees that had led her into the strange world. A sudden zapping sound made her look down at her wand in alarm. Small neon blue sparks were flying out of the tip but looked to be restrained in some way. An idea dawned on her, and before she knew it, she had unscrewed the topper. The sparks flowed out of her wand, forming into the shape of a person. After a quick popping sound, a man was standing in front of her. He looked like Neo from the Matrix but had neon blue eyes and pointed ears that were very reminiscent of an elf's. "Finally! You don't know how long I've been stuck in there!" He said, stretching his arms.

"You just...came out of my wand?" Falner asked, screwing her topper back on. The man nodded. "Very observant, sweetheart." He said, smiling at her. Falner's face flushed red. "Who are you? WHAT are you?" She asked. "Consider me your guardian in this world," He said, extending his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Falner." Falner's eyes widened as she shook his hand. "H-How do you know-!" She was cut off by the man speaking again. "I took the liberty of peering into your mind while I was changing your cape. You keep a lot of things to yourself, don't you?" He chuckled. Falner's face turned red in shame. "Yeah, but that's because I-I don't have anyone to talk to. I'm an only child, my parents don't listen to me, and my friends don't really care." She said, looking at the ground. "Well, I care. You can tell me anything." He said, smiling and tilting her chin up. She smiled back. "Do you have a name?" She asked. "No, sadly. People just call me Neo, due to my appearance." He admitted. "Neo it is," She said, pulling her spellbook out. "Now, where exactly am I supposed to go…?" Neo peered over her shoulder, then pointed to a picture of a stone with sparkles on it. "Since you're an apprentice Magi, you need to get all of the runes. Your first objective is to take up the quest for the Dazzle Rune. Then we can go from there," He instructed. "Now just repeat my hand movements with your wand, and it'll accept the quest." He waved his hand in a check mark shape, Falner doing the same with her wand. The wand tip glowed green, earning a smile from Neo. "Quest accepted! Now you need to find the five crystals." He said. Falner looked down at her spellbook.

" _Seek out the five crystals_

 _with colors so bright._

 _ **Red**_ _,_ _ **yellow**_ _,_ _ **blue**_ _,_ _ **purple**_ _,_

 _and – most powerful –_ _ **white**_ _._

 _The Lady in the Leaves,_

 _In the woods so deep._

 _Will grant the Dazzle Rune._

 _It's all yours to keep."_

"Alright, so all I need to do is find five crystals. That shouldn't be too hard." Falner said. Neo looked down at the book again. "You've got clues here, too." He observed. "Wait, what?" Falner asked, looking down at the book as well. Sure enough, there were five sketches of crystals, each with a small clue next to it.

" _Enchanted Woods hold_

 _many secrets, it's said._

 _It's here that the crystals_

 _shine bright and glow_ _ **red**_ "

" _If I were a crystal_

 _so vibrantly_ _ **blue**_ _._

 _In Enchanted Woods_

 _I'd be waiting for you."_

" _Gems as_ _ **yellow**_ _as the sun,_

 _shimmer down on everyone!_

 _Up to Piney Path you'll surely find_

 _a crystal with an enduring shine."_

" _Not far from where_

 _the Pixies dwell,_

 _the_ _ **purple**_ _crystal_

 _does as well!"_

" _It's in Tangled Woods_

 _that_ _ **white**_ _crystals glow._

 _They shimmer and glimmer,_

 _and glisten like snow!"_

"Well, now we have a starting point." Falner noted, closing the book and tucking it away into her jacket pocket. Neo nodded, standing beside her. "Shall we set off?" He asked. She nodded. "Let's go!"


	3. Chapter 3 - Truth revealed

"FALNER, RUN!" Neo screamed, grabbing Falner's hand and dragging her along. The two had been looking for the final crystal, the white one, but accidentally awakened a pretty pissed off wolf once they actually found it. Falner was trying in vain to cast any spells she could at it until, finally, it hit her. "Immobulus!" She shouted, waving her wand. The wolf immediately froze in its tracks, allowing the two to slow down and catch their breaths. "What **was** that?" Neo asked. "It's a spell I learned a couple years ago. I...kinda go to school for this stuff," Falner said shyly. "When you're a 7th year Ravenclaw, it's best to keep your magic a secret, lest you get expelled." "Ah, so you're a Hogwarts student...that explains why you were sent through the portal instead of just using the decoy trees." He replied, nodding slowly. Falner nodded as well. "Yeah. I actually have been meaning to ask about those trees. How come I got sent here when I saw other wand-toting kids running around the hallways?" She asked. "Well, to put things as simply as possible, Elise isn't as normal as she seems. She works with Headmaster Dumbledore and a couple other wizarding schools to find promising young witches or wizards to send on these quests. Your objective is different from the children out in the lodge, too." He explained. She tilted her head. "Objective? I don't quite follow." She said. Neo let out a small sigh, then looked at her with a mixture of sympathy and fear. "You were sent here with a mission. Elise saw something within you that would help us," He said, waving his hand. A misty screen appeared in front of him, and a series of images began to form. The first was a large red dragon guarding a treasure hoard. "The children in the lodge only know about Charlock, the Red Dragon. Their objective is to defeat him and 'save the kingdom'. Yours is a bit more...complicated. You do have to defeat Charlock, but he isn't your main priority. You have two much stronger - and much more _dangerous_ \- adversaries."

As he said this, two images appeared: a dragon that seemed to be made entirely of silver and a man in a black cloak. "The first is the Silver Dragon, who has entered Vellara and aims to destroy the Magi race. You need to fully complete your training before fighting it since it's extremely powerful." He said. Falner nodded slightly. "Okay, so I can't fight the Silver Dragon until I have all the runes and become a Master Magi, right?" She asked. Neo nodded. "Yes. And it isn't the only challenge you have to face," He gestured to the image of the man in the black cloak. "Xavier is your true final challenge. He's the reason all of the young Magi are only fighting Charlock. He has cast an enormous illusionary spell on the lodge that veils the true threats, and the only way to break the spell is to defeat him. He's no pushover, either. I tried fighting him myself to defend my last Magi and...well...it didn't go quite as planned." He turned around and pulled his collar down to reveal a long scar running from the back of his neck to his collarbone. Falner bit her lip. "Yikes…" Neo pulled his collar up, concealing the scar once more. "Shall we get going with finishing your first quest?" He asked. Falner nodded, opening her spellbook.

" _When you have all five crystals within your possession,_

 _You're ready to make quite a dazzling impression!_

 _To the_ _ **Whispery Woods**_ _down the path you must wend,_

 _The Lady in the Leaves is your bloomin' best friend!"_

Before Neo could say anything, Falner took off running down the path in front of her. "Falner, wait!" He shouted, running after her. ' _This child is one of the toughest I've ever had to keep up with.'_ He thought to himself, chuckling slightly.


	4. Chapter 4 - The Lady in the Leaves

After what seemed like hours, the duo eventually found their way into a dense, dimly-lit forest. "That was a genius idea," Neo said, gesturing to the five crystals hanging from a black rope around Falner's neck. The crystals illuminated the path in front of them with a dazzling kaleidoscopic glow. Falner beamed. "Thanks, Neo. I figured that since my choker wasn't doing anything beneficial, I could just transfigure it into the same rope that holds my Kyber crystal," She said, pulling a small aqua green crystal out of her pocket and attaching it to the rope around her neck. "Well, if it helps you become more organized when it comes to these quests, then I'm all for it." Neo chuckled. As the duo walked ahead, he took Falner's hand in an experimental gesture and murmured something under his breath, something that was concealed by the sound of branches cracking underneath the girl's sneakered feet. Falner shivered for a moment before glowing with a neon blue light that faded as quickly as it had come, Neo's grip on her hand never faltering.

"What was that?" She asked. "Until you get the Rune of Protection, the spell I just cast on you will protect you from harm. I...I don't want you getting hurt, Falner," He said softly. "You're one of - if not the only - Magi that I truly feel like I must protect. And it's not just because of the challenges thrust upon you, either. I care about you." He had started to ramble, but Falner seemed to understand because she smiled slightly. "Neo, I'm glad you care about me. You're the only one who does. Everyone else calls me a freak," She said, sighing. "The worst part is...I think they might be right." Neo's brow furrowed. "Why do you think that?" He asked, his voice laced with anger. "Neo, take a moment and just look at me." She commanded, standing still.

Neo let go of her hand and moved in front of her, looking her up and down. Her blonde hair was cut in a pixie style and had red highlights, her eyes were a shimmering purple behind blue square-framed glasses, her skin was so pale that she seemed to be glowing in the darkness, and there were small blood stains on her grey jacket. "What am I supposed to be seeing, exactly?" He asked.

Falner looked at him with a mixture of surprise and anger. "Neo. I'm too short for my age, my eyes are _purple_ , and I'm as pale and light as a ghost. You really think there isn't something wrong with all that?" She half-growled. He shook his head. "Sweetheart...nothing is wrong with you," He said softly. "You're a beautiful and wonderful person. You keep calm and collected even with the challenge thrust upon you. You're someone I can admire." Falner looked shocked. "Y…You're lying," she said. "There's nothing good about me. Sure, I may have a lot of magical prowess and can make friends with relative ease, but that doesn't change the fact that I'm short, too skinny for my own good, and as frail as a piece of glass."

Neo let out a sigh, putting his hands on Falner's shoulders. "Look if you want to argue with me and put yourself down, that's fine. Just know that my opinion of you will never change. To me, you're nothing short of a miracle." He said. Falner was silent as the two walked deeper into the forest, finally stopping at a large mass of leaves and bushes that looked to be forming the shape of a woman. She waved her wand at the bushes wordlessly and, after a rush of wind and the rustle of leaves, the bushes parted to reveal a woman sitting on a leafy throne. She had dark green hair, eyes the color of the autumn leaves, green skin, and wore a deep green leafy dress.

"Ah, so _you_ are the student of Hogwarts," She said, smiling at an extremely bewildered Falner. "I've been expecting you." "How...how do you know I'm a Hogwarts student?" Falner asked. The woman laughed slightly, a gentle breeze whistling through the leaves. "The way you carry your wand, the blood stains on your coat, and the ethereal glow of your purple eyes. All of that shows me that you, my dear, are part of the select few. You're a student of magic, and, if I may quote your groundskeeper, a thumpin' good one at that." She replied. Neo gestured to the woman, smiling. "Falner, meet Umalis, the Lady in the Leaves," He said. "She's the keeper of the Dazzle Rune."

Umalis smiled sweetly at him, and Falner could swear she saw his cheeks light up blue. "Your wand spirit is absolutely correct. I am the keeper of both the forests and the Dazzle Rune. Speaking of which…" She waved her hand, and a small stone appeared in her palm. It shone with a rainbow glow as she handed it to the still-bewildered Falner. "The rune is now yours. Go now, Magi and be...dazzling."

Falner gave her a small smile. "Thank you. But, I have a couple questions that I hope you can answer." She said quickly. Umalis gave her a short nod. "What would you like to know?" She asked. Falner took a deep breath and began to speak. "What is this place? What's the deal with the decoy trees in the lodge? How come I saw other people doing these quests but they weren't in here? And, the most important one in my opinion, how come I was chosen to come here?" She rattled off questions at lightning fast speed. Umalis let out a soft chuckle, looking at Neo. "How _do_ you keep up with her? She speaks faster than she walks!" She said jokingly.

Neo snickered slightly as Umalis looked back at Falner, who was staring up at her expectantly. "Firstly, your current location is the Whispering Woods. If you want things from a technical standpoint, you're in the world of Vellara, a place where Magi and mortals coexist. The decoy trees sense if a child has the magical potential that only students of Hogwarts or Ilvermorny hold. That's also the reason why you were chosen to come here. You're something powerful. Not just a 7th-year witch at both Hogwarts and Ilvermorny, but you have some special blood running through your veins," Umalis explained. Falner nodded slightly, letting her continue.

"Finally, the other children...as Neo has told you, they don't know the truth. They think this is all just for show, and wouldn't be able to see any of this due to that mindset. It doesn't help that Xavier cast that illusionary spell over the entire lodge. Elise is one of the few who was able to get to a safe place before the spell was cast. That's why she could see the danger that this world is in and try and see if anyone in the lodge had the power and potential to save it. That's where you come in. Like I said, you're something extraordinarily special. You're not like everyone else, and that is an amazing thing, especially here. Go with Neo, train yourself to your full potential and even beyond that, and help us all save not only this world but the lodge too." At this, both Neo and Umalis spoke in eerie unison. "Help us, Falner Greyson. You're our only hope." Falner's entire body shook slightly at the words, recognizing the reference and the sincerity behind it. "Okay. I'll help. But, on two conditions." She said.

Neo tilted his head. "And what would those conditions be?" He asked. Falner gave him a slight smile. "First, you stay with me the entire journey. I like having you around, Neo. You make me smile," she said. Neo's cheeks dusted blue, but before he could speak Falner continued. "And second, I want to get my brother involved in this. He and I are almost magically equal, what with him being just a year older than me, and he's a great strategizer." She said confidently. Umalis looked intrigued. "A brother? What's his name and location? I could send a signal to Elise, and she can bring him here." She said. "His name is Lucas Anakin Greyson, and he's currently…" Falner started, closing her eyes for a moment then reopening them. "Sitting on the bed in our room at the lodge, probably wondering what the hell is taking me so long to come back." She finished. Umalis nodded, closing her eyes. "Then if you'll give me just a moment…"


End file.
